‘May we all help light up the world.’ Hilton Head comes together to celebrate Hanukkah
People tell me too often that we are living in times that do not give us much hope.
Cynicism runs deep, and the big issues in our society keep on plaguing us and causing us to view the glass half empty rather than half full. We are asking how are we getting along with each other? Whether it’s our politics or our view of religion or even an argument over which is the best restaurant, it just seems like we cannot agree on much except what the other person should give to his or her house of worship.
Religious diversity can take incremental steps and often doesn’t show much progress on the surface. Inside our houses of worship we practice our rituals and intone our prayers and listen to the words of Scripture from our clergy. Then small moments come about which demonstrate that change can happen for our community. Let me give you an example of one small change that means a lot to one faith tradition in Hilton Head.
This time of the year beginning on Dec. 18th through the 26th is the holiday of Hanukkah. For the first time the town of Hilton Head is sponsoring with Congregation Beth Yam a newly established tradition of a Hanukkah celebration at Celebration Park.
It is important to note that town has supported the traditional lighting ceremony of the Christmas tree for years but never an event to celebrate Hanukkah. The Jewish community thanks the town and its council as well as the professional staff for helping to make this happen. It gives old and young alike the sense of pride and joy that our town recognizes Hanukkah as the holiday of freedom. The Jewish children can point with pride to the music, arts and delicious latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) that are eaten in celebration of this joyous holiday.
Hanukkah commemorates the Jewish army that defeated the Greeks in 164 BCE in the land of Judea. The Greeks overtook the Jewish state and instituted laws forbidding the practice of Judaism. They turned the holy Temple in Jerusalem into a Greek pagan temple. But when the Maccabee family and their insurgent army threw out the Greeks, they returned to Jerusalem and rededicated the temple. The word Hanukkah means to dedicate and can mean to educate as well. So Hanukkah focuses on freedom and faith as the leaders rededicated their temple.
One of the challenges was to rekindle the seven stemmed candelabra or Menorah. In those days they used oil to light the lamps. The problem was back then there was only enough oil to light the menorah for one night but the miracle as told by the ancient sages was that it lasted for eight nights. Faith and freedom went hand in hand and from that day forward — every Jewish family lights their own menorah in their homes and in their synagogues.
We spin the dreidel, which is a four sided spinning top. Each side has a Hebrew letter that spells out a “great miracle happened there.” Jewish children love to play this game of spin the dreidel with chocolate coins. Yes, Jewish people also exchange gifts during the eight days of Hanukkah. Hanukkah has many new rituals, music and joyful activities for young and old alike. It gives us great joy to share these traditions with the rest of the larger community that will join us.
There is an underlying spiritual value here with regard to the faith instilled in us from the Hanukkah observance. When we light the candles we bring light into the darkness. One Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, said, “There always were two ways to live in a world that is often dark and full of tears. We can curse the darkness or we can light a light, because a little light drives out much darkness. May we all help light up the world.”
That is not only a message for the Jewish people who have had to contend with an upsurge in anti-semitism here in America and around the world. But it is also a profound and important symbol of hope for all Americans that when we feel that we are living with severe economic challenges or many other kinds of problems in our world today, that all human beings can restore light to our world no matter our faith tradition.
Today that is a universal meaning and cause for rejoicing this ancient holiday commemorating our fight for freedom. The fact that we can present this holiday and its underlying message with the support of our beloved town of Hilton Head gives us great pride and gratitude. May this Inaugural event remind us of why religious diversity is a great strength for our community and can lead us to greater solidarity during challenging times. We see that our common Scriptural heritage makes us a stronger community and nation.
Happy Hanukkah
